Croatia puts army on alert as it reels from migrant influx

1of11People lift two children ﻿as they try to get them to safety Thursday amid scuffles between migrants and ﻿police officers in Tovarnik, Croatia﻿. Hundreds of migrants ﻿pushed through police lines﻿ with people trampling and falling on each other﻿.﻿Photo: Marko Drobnjakovic, STR

2of11People crowd a bus provided by the Croatian government, after pushing through police lines in Tovarnik, Croatia, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. Hundreds of migrants have pushed through police lines in the eastern Croatian town of Tovarnik, with people trampling and falling on each other amid the chaos, as more than 2,000 men, women and children were stuck at the local train station for hours in blazing heat and sun on Thursday, waiting to board trains and buses for transport to refugee centers. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)Photo: Marko Drobnjakovic, STR

3of11A woman carries a baby as she goes through a police cordon in Tovarnik, Croatia, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. Hundreds of migrants have pushed through police lines in the eastern Croatian town of Tovarnik, with people trampling and falling on each other amid the chaos, as more than 2,000 men, women and children were stuck at the local train station for hours in blazing heat and sun on Thursday, waiting to board trains and buses for transport to refugee centers. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)Photo: Marko Drobnjakovic, STR

4of11Afghan refugees sleep next to razor-wire barrier at the Serbian side of Hungary's border fence with Serbia, in Asotthalom, southern Hungary, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. Thousands of migrants have begun pouring into Croatia, setting up a new path toward Western Europe after Hungary used tear gas and water cannons to keep them out of its territory. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)Photo: Muhammed Muheisen, STF

5of11A girl cries at the "Horgos 2" border crossing into Hungary, near Horgos, Serbia, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. Thousands of migrants poured into Croatia on Thursday, setting up a new path toward Western Europe after Hungary used tear gas and water cannons to keep them out of its territory. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)Photo: Darko Vojinovic, STF

6of11A man carrying a baby is let through a police cordon amid scuffles between migrants and Croatian police officers in Tovarnik, Croatia, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. Hundreds of migrants have pushed through police lines in the eastern Croatian town of Tovarnik, with people trampling and falling on each other amid the chaos, as more than 2,000 men, women and children were stuck at the local train station for hours in blazing heat and sun on Thursday, waiting to board trains and buses for transport to refugee centers. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)Photo: Marko Drobnjakovic, STR

7of11A Croatian police officer tries to stop people from sneaking under a wire in Tovarnik, Croatia, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. Hundreds of migrants have pushed through police lines in the eastern Croatian town of Tovarnik, with people trampling and falling on each other amid the chaos, as more than 2,000 men, women and children were stuck at the local train station for hours in blazing heat and sun on Thursday, waiting to board trains and buses for transport to refugee centers. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)Photo: Marko Drobnjakovic, STR

8of11People lift two children that sit in a twin stroller as they try to get them to safety amid scuffles between migrants and Croatian police officers in Tovarnik, Croatia, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. Hundreds of migrants have pushed through police lines in the eastern Croatian town of Tovarnik, with people trampling and falling on each other amid the chaos, as more than 2,000 men, women and children were stuck at the local train station for hours in blazing heat and sun on Thursday, waiting to board trains and buses for transport to refugee centers. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)Photo: Marko Drobnjakovic, STR

9of11A child cries in a stroller as it is being pushed through a police cordon in Tovarnik, Croatia, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. Hundreds of migrants have pushed through police lines in the eastern Croatian town of Tovarnik, with people trampling and falling on each other amid the chaos, as more than 2,000 men, women and children were stuck at the local train station for hours in blazing heat and sun on Thursday, waiting to board trains and buses for transport to refugee centers. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)Photo: Marko Drobnjakovic, STR

10of11Migrants protest at the "Horgos 2" border crossing that leads into the Hungary, near Horgos, Serbia, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. Thousands of migrants poured into Croatia on Thursday, setting up a new path toward Western Europe after Hungary used tear gas and water cannons to keep them out of its territory. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)Photo: Darko Vojinovic, STF

11of11A group of migrants walk gesture to the media as they walk on the road near Bezdan, Serbia, toward Croatia Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. Thousands of migrants poured into Croatia on Thursday, setting up a new path toward Western Europe after Hungary used tear gas and water cannons to keep them out of its territory. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)Photo: Darko Vojinovic, STF

BATINA, Croatia - Croatian leaders asked the army Thursday to be on alert after chaos erupted at the border with Serbia, where thousands of migrants and refugees have poured into the country. Some trampled over each other in a rush to get on limited buses and trains, causing dozens of injuries amid the mayhem.

The huge masses descended on Croatia after Hungary took tough measures to stop migrants entering its southern border. As Hungarian officials hailed their success in stopping the massive influx and moved ahead with plans to build yet more border fences, leaders in Croatia pleaded that their country was at full capacity and unable to cope with the sudden flow.

Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic told reporters he had a message for migrants: Don't try to go to Western Europe through his country.

"Don't come here anymore. Stay in refugee centers in Serbia and Macedonia and Greece," Ostojic said. "This is not the road to Europe. Buses can't take you there. It's a lie."

Hungary sealed its border with Serbia this week with a razor-wire fence and began arresting people who tried to cross. Police used tear gas, batons and water cannons on those who tried to push open a gate Wednesday.

Croatia represents a longer and more difficult route into Europe, but those fleeing violence in their homelands had little choice. By late Thursday a total of 9,200 people had entered the country in the past two days, police said.

Yet Slovenia, like Hungary, appeared unwilling to take in the inflow. Slovenian police said those freshly arrived from Croatia would simply be sent back there, according to the country's state news agency.

Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic asked the country's military to be on higher alert and ready to act if needed to protect the border. The country's interior minister meanwhile suggested his country may close its borders if faced with thousands more newcomers.

After bus trips through Serbia, many migrants crossed fields on foot to enter Croatia, where dozens of police directed them to trains and buses heading to refugee centers. Authorities warned them to avoid areas along the Serbian border still being demined from the country's 1991-95 war.

Soon matters got out of control.

Hundreds of angry asylum seekers pushed through police lines in the Croatian town of Tovarnik after waiting for hours in the heat, demanding to be allowed to move on toward Western Europe. An Associated Press photographer saw one man collapse on the ground and dozens injured.

More than 2,000 men, women and children had been stuck at the local train station for hours. When buses finally arrived, groups charged toward them, overwhelming Croatian police. The situation calmed down, but some migrants moved off on foot, with police unable to stop them.

As an EU member state, Croatia is required to register the asylum seekers. But almost all are trying to reach Germany or elsewhere in Western Europe and want to move quickly without a paper trail.

Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic said his country cannot hold down migrants who wish to move on.

"Our resources are limited," he said. "I will not and cannot stop those people and they will pass through Croatia."